Finding Spirit in the Modern World

Card of the Day: Mandrake

Hmmm, I could use some luck right now – and easing another’s suffering is always the thing to do when we can. But look out for the toxic side of this card. Mandrake has quite a reputation and for good reason. (Also note that for those of us who don’t have Mandrake growing in our area, the Mayapple can substitute for it in most magical work.)

Happy Monday, everyone!

Mandrake – wealth, fertility, anesthesia

Meaning: The ability to assuage pain is mandrake’s greatest gift to humanity. Easing pain in others – whether it be physical, mental, or emotional – is a skill that should be treasured. If you have chosenthis card, it may indicate that you were called upon to alleviate suffering in someway. This may be as simple as offering reassuring words to distressed friend or it might involve a vocational choice; perhaps you are considering whether to follow a course of training or work that focuses on alleviating pain in others.

Alternatively, the card may suggest that you are entering a phase of great luck and even wealth. Mandrake has been associated with prosperity and good fortune for centuries, and those who planted seeds of happiness for others in the past can expect to experience joy in their own lives too.

Since mandrake is connected with love and fertility, the card may also mean that love is entering your life or that you are beginning a fertile phase in your physical or spiritual life.

On the flipside, mandrake was considered a magical amplifier, which could act as a magnet to attract love, power, and wealth. Like the Devil (or Cernunnos) card in the tarot, the forces it represents can be beneficial or detrimental depending upon intention and maturity. If you have chosen this card it could also indicate that you need to be aware of the dangers of obsession – of becoming overly occupied with a notion or desire that may have a value, but which risks being all-consuming.

Although mandrake was used medicinally in the ancient world, it was also the first plant to be used in chemical warfare. Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, faked a retreat from an African enemy, leaving behind wine steeped in mandrake as a poison. Something that is life enhancing in small measures can become toxic in higher doses.

The Druid Animal Oracle by authors Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington